Metal-stair construction



Filed July 10, 1929 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 10, 1931 JAMESWINSTON, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY METAL-STAIR CONSTRUCTION Applicationfiled July 10,

My present invention has reference to a method of constructing metalStairways? in an easier, more efiicientand more economical manner thanis ordinary.

6 In carrying out my invention it is my purpose to produce a metalstairway rail in which the balusters and top and bottom railings areproduced on a quantity basis and then assembled and welded together tofit any stairs, re-

gardless of the rake of such stairways.

It is also my purpose to produce a metal stairway railing of membersthat comprise the rails and the balusters, the said rails being punchedto provide the same with rectangular openings, the balusters being cutin desired lengths from a square bar or bars and to form the stairrailing of the proper pitch to fit any stair by placing the top andbottom bars and balusters in a welding jig, that is 0 adjusted to thepitch of the stairs in connection with which the railing is to be used,two of the opposite corners of the balusters being partly receivedthrough the rectangular openings and the remaining opposite corners ofthe balusters contacting with the opposite walls provided by saidopenings and the ends a of the balusters received through the openingsbeing welded to the railings.

It is a still further object to produce a metal stairway rail in whichthe upper and lower rails comprise channeled members that have theirinner portions punched to provide the same with rectangular openings forthe reception of the ends of roughly cut cross 3 sectionally squarebalusters whose said ends are welded to the rails, and wherein thechanneled portion of the upper rail affords a seat for the reception ofa wooden rail cap and the lower channeled member provides for thereception for the upper edge of the stair stringer.

I attain the foregoing and other objects which will present themselvesby a c0nstruction, combination and operative association of parts, onesatisfactory embodiment of which is disclosed by the accompanyingdrawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1. a side elevation of a metal 1929. Serial No. 377,247.

stairway railing in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the rails toillustrate the manner in which the balusters are received through theopenings in the said rails and welded thereto.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the parts as illustrated byFigure 2;

In Figure 1 of the drawings I have illustrated my railing constructionarranged on a stairway. In this showing the numeral 1 designates theouter stringer, 2 and 3, the newel posts, respectively. The dotted linesindicate the steps and risers of the stairway. The upper and lower metalrails of the inn provement are indicated by the numerals f and 5,respectively, and the balusters by the numeral 6. The rails or bars 4and 5 have their ends cut and secured to the confronting faces of thenewel posts 2 and 3 either by welding or any other desired means, andthe stringer board 1 received between the newel posts may be alsoconnected to the bottom rail 5 in any desired or preferred manner or theupper edge of the said stringer board may simply rest in the channeledouter face of the said lower rail 5.

The rails 4 and 5 comprise a channeled member, and these members may beof a desired length or lengths. The channeled rails i 4 and 5 have theirinner faces punched to provide the same with rectangular openings 7, andthese openings when the rails are arranged upon the stairway aredesigned to aline so that the balusters 6, when the cross sectionallysquare stock from which the same are formed is cut into desired lengths,will have twoof their opposed corners contacting with two of the opposedend walls provided by the openings 7 and their opposite opposed cornerspartly passing through the openings 7 but will also contact with thesecond end walls of these openings. What I will term the under face ofthe rail 5 is provided with a channel 8 which as heretofore stated,receives the upper edge of the stringer l therein, while the outer orupper face of the rail 4 is channeled to receive a wooden cap or railtherein.

When the balusters are put the desir length and received in the openings7 of the rails as heretofore stated, the same are welded to said rails,as indicated by the numeral 9. However, prior to this the rails and thebalusters are arranged in a jig welding apparatus which is adjusted tothe pitch of the rake of the stairway in connection with which therailing is to be used, and it is in this-machine that the parts arewelded together. After 10 the parts are so welded and removed from thejig the rails 4 and 5'1 and if-necessary the stringer 1 may be outbetween the newel posts 2 and 3 but also if desired, the newel posts,stringer and railing may be welded together in the welding jig. With mymethod and means for producing stairway rails it will be noted that thebalusters and top and bottom rails may be produced upon a quantity basisand then assembled and welded together to fit any stairway regardlessof, the rake of such stairs; The rectangular openings 7 in the rails 45and 5 are roughly punched, or in other words, the same are not filedafter the punching operation and likewise the squared bars which providethe balusters 6, after being sawed .into lengths are not filed orotherwise finished as is required upon other welded joints for making aneat fitting between the parts constituting the same This, of course, isa decided advantageover the ordinary construction and method ofassociating the parts of a metal railing, as the same produces aconstruction which is strong, whichmay be more fastly assembled andwhich is, therefore more economical than any other devices with which Iam acquainted.

Having described the invention, I claim: In a metal stairwayconstruction, upper and lower channeled rails which have their centralportionsroughly punched to provide the same with substantiallyrectangular op en ings, metal balusters of stock size having their endsroughly cut, and designed to be received between the upper and lowerrails tohave their respective diagonal corners contacting with thediagonally opposed end walls provided by the openings in the rails,their second diagonally opposed ends partly received in the openings andcontacting with the sec- 1 0 end end walls provided by such openings andthe saidbal-usters having their first mentioned diagonally opposedcorners welded to the end walls provided by the openings in the rails.

In testimony whereof I afixmy signature.

JAMES WINSTON.

